According to a recent Medgadget article, a team of engineers at the University of California San Diego has developed a wearable ultrasound patch for cardiac imaging. The patch, which is the size of a postage stamp, can be worn on the chest and uses AI and ultrasound waves to perform advanced imaging of the heart, including during exercise. The patch provides information on how much blood the heart is pumping and can be worn for up to 24 hours. The researchers hope the technology will lead to more accessible and widespread cardiac monitoring.
The wearable ultrasound patch uses AI to interpret the reflected acoustic waves and calculate a variety of hemodynamic parameters, including stroke volume, ejection fraction, and cardiac output. The device provides real-time images of the heart and the deep learning model used for image segmentation is the first to be functionalized in wearable ultrasound devices. The researchers are working on a wireless version of the device for an upcoming publication and also have plans to commercialize the technology. The development of this technology could lead to more accurate and continuous monitoring of key cardiac indices in different physical states, including after exercise.
